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Home My WebLink About2022-09 Newsletter Board and Committee Meetings back to in person at Town Hall It is expected that the Governor will not be extending the State of Emergency and all town board and committee meetings will return to in person attendance. We will continue to broadcast via ZOOM and our YouTubeLive Ithaca Meetings links for your convenience. Links to agendas and materials as well as remote attendance are on our website calendar. It will be nice to see everyone again. TOWN BUDGET MEETING October 6, 2022 at 5:30 p.m. The Supervisor’s Tentative Budget will be presented at the annual Budget Meeting, held the first Thursday of October each year. Our Process The Budget Committee, made up of two Town Board members, the Town Supervisor and the Town Finance Officer meet monthly beginning in March of each year to begin discussing, prioritizing, and planning the budget. Departments Heads submit their budget requests in July and often attend committee meetings. The Finance Officer works with the Town Supervisor throughout the year collecting information and trends to prepare the Supervisor’s or Tentative Budget for the Town Board to review and consider. At the Budget Meeting, the full Town Board discusses the Tentative Budget, suggests and votes on any changes, and adopts the Tentative Budget as the Preliminary Budget. A Public Hearing on the Preliminary Budget is then held at the October Regular meeting, which this year is on October 17th at 5:30 p.m. The Finance Officer prepares summary sheets and breakdowns of each fund for ease of understanding and to facilitate questions from the Board and public and will be available prior to the meeting with the packet materials posted online. After the Public Hearing, the Board will discuss any comments received, any proposed changes, and consider adopting the Final 2023 Town of Ithaca Budget. Water/Sewer Billing You should have received your Water Bills. These are due by September 30th without any late penalty. Postmark counts, and there is a drop box on the Buffalo St. entrance to Town Hall. If you know your account number, you can look up the amount and payment status and we now offer ACH payments; details and forms online on our web page under: Welcome& FAQS. It is important to remember that on October 15th, any unpaid water bills will be re-levied to your Town and County tax bill that comes out January 1st to balance out accounts (credits roll over). SCHOOL TAXES School tax bills come out October 1st The school, town and county use a database from Tompkins County Assessment to populate addressing. If your address or ownership status changes after July/August, the information may not have been updated and pushed out to the various bill addressing systems. It is important to remember that by State Law, you are responsible for any late fees regardless of whether you received a bill in the mail or not. You can look up your school tax bill at www.taxlookup.net Recent and Upcoming Town Events Community Tree Planting Event Saturday, October 1st, 9:30am – 11:30 East Ithaca Nature Preserve (meet at the gazebo) Map Once again, the Town of Ithaca Conservation Board is hosting a Community Tree Planting event for replenishing native trees. This year, the location is the East Ithaca Preserve, and volunteers are needed to help. Please consider joining us and helping our parks, trails and preserves flourish. For more information or to let us know you are coming (RSVPs appreciated), email planning@town.ithaca.ny.us Forest Home Walkway Joe Slater, Dir. of Public Works; Joe Talbut, Parks Manager and Dan Thaete, Town Engineer After years in the planning and execution of a rehabilitation plan for the Forest Home Walkway, a ribbon cutting was held on August 29th to officially reopen the Walkway. Check out the scenic videos we have posted to the web using a drone, they are fantastic! Saunders Park Grand Opening This property was acquired back in 1998 and in 2015, a resident donated funds for its development. The Town solicited the neighborhood’s input, hired a design consultant and then Town crews brought those plans to fruition. Mrs. Conneman attended the ribbon cutting held on September 6th with Deputy Town Supervisor Rich DePaolo doing the honors and flanked by Joe Talbut, Parks Manager and Joe Slater, Dir. of Public Works. Here come the men in…. well, glasses. Those of you who are my age will understand the lead in and why that movie came instantly to my mind when I saw this picture…. The Engineering Dept. put a lot of work into this project: Dan Thaete, Justin McNeal and David O’Shea The park is in the E King Rd/Hospicare area adjacent to Saunders Road. Dame Cicely Mary Saunders is widely recognized as the founder of the modern hospice movement and the trails wrap around Saunders Road and connect to the Hospicare property and so it seemed fitting to name this new park Saunders Park. We hope you enjoy it! LED Streetlight Replacement Project You may have noticed some changes in the lighting near you recently. The switch to LED lighting is almost complete. Below are some before and after pictures. This was a Green New Deal initiative that many of the local municipalities took to purchase the poles and fixtures and upgrade to energy-saving LEDs to meet our GHG reduction 2030 Goals. Remote access to controls and maintenance alerts are coming soon. Mitchell Street and Pine Tree Road Hanshaw Road and Muriel Street 2022 Sanitary Sewer System Construction Project The Town has contracted with Camden Group, Inc. to perform inspections and repairs of manholes throughout the Inlet Valle/Rte. 13 corridor into early October. This will help reduce excessive inflow and infiltration to our sewer system using water stopping agents, protective coatings and some frame and lid replacements to ensure continued safe and sufficient sanitary sewer services to our resident. All workers will have proper identification and if you have any questions or concerns, please call Daniel Thaete, PE, 607-273-1656 ex:225 or dthaete@town.ithaca.ny.us Easement and Right-of-Way maintenance also continues throughout the town. This maintenance is key to providing quick and easy access if an emergency situation or infrastructure repair is needed. As a reminder, nothing permanent or that could impede town maintenance or access to an easement of the rights-of-ways are permitted and the town is not responsible for any damage to anything placed in them during this maintenance. Questions can be directed to Joe Slater, Highway Superintendent, 607-273-1656. The Good Life ~ 50+ is the new 40! Did you know Lifelong is for those of us over 50! I didn’t! Lifelong is a vibrant, active community center for all adults 50 and over. If you are a long-time resident, new to the community, or something in between, please stop by their office at 119 W Court Street, they’d love to meet you! Lifelong offers numerous health and wellness classes including tai chi, chair yoga, strength training, fitness, and groups that meet for walks, biking, and kayaking. They have a clay studio, paint studio, senior theatre group, and many other classes and social groups to meet new people, stay connected, and have fun while doing so. Lifelong also partners with Collette Tours for trips to Costa Rica, the Canadian Rockies & Glacier National Park, and an Alaska Land & Cruise adventure is in the works. View their fall catalogue here and/or visit their website at https://tclifelong.org/ Highlighting one of our Seniors - June Silberman Traditions and Beyond Quilt Show The Tompkins County Quilters Guild will be hosting its annual Traditions and Beyond Quilt Show on October 1st & 2nd at the TC3 Field House. Many Town of Ithaca residents are part of the guild and central to organizing the show with the goal of sharing their beautiful work and educating residents about the wonders of quilt making. The Guild is one of the oldest quilters guilds in the nation and is just about to celebrate its 50th year. Organized during the quilt revival of the 1970’s, The Tompkins County Quilters Guild made a name for itself in the quilting world during the nation’s bicentennial in 1976 by holding one of the first quilt shows. It showcased 600 quilts from 14 counties and attracted 8000 visitors. Each show the guild chooses one outstanding member to be the featured artist and this year’s Featured Artist is June Silberman, a long-time resident of Ithaca and lifelong fiber artist. Though June makes beautiful quilts, amazing soft sculptures, and even fabric jewelry, her display at the show will consist of her true passion, quilted garments. Browse the 350 quilts all hanging up and vote for your favorites using the Viewers’ Choice ballots. Quilts will range from Traditional, Antique, Modern, Art Quilts, Wall hangings, Baby quilts, Miniatures, Wearables and more. All proceeds go to guild projects to create quilts and quilted items to benefit The Cancer Resource Center, Habitat for Humanity, The Advocacy Center, the pediatric center of Cayuga Medical Center and Golisano Hospital, and many small quilts for children experiencing major illness or trauma. Other vendors will be there, with raffles, a book sale, a silent auction and more. Admission is $6. Please consider going to this family friendly event and tell June congratulations! Recreation Partnership Fall 2022 I-PLAY program line-up for active youth The Ithaca Youth Bureau Recreation Department offers year-round recreation programming involving sports, lessons, Arts, Events, and summer camps for youth and families with support from The Recreation Partnership sponsored in part by the Town of Ithaca. To register, go to iybrec.org and click “register” The Ithaca Youth Bureau is looking for Flag Football Coordinator & Assistants, Soccer referees, Tennis Assistants and Theater Instructor as well as Cass Park Rink is taking applications for Assistant Managers, Rink Guards, and Skate Instructors. Protect your pet and others – Get your pets vaccinated Fall Rabies Clinics Thursday, September 29, 2022 7PM – 9PM Groton Fire Station, 108 East Cortland St, Groton Saturday, October 15, 2022 11AM – 2PM TCAT Bus Garage, 737 Willow Ave, Ithaca Preregistration Recommended: https://tompkinscountyny.gov/health/eh/rabies#clinics Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off Event Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) 2022 Drop-Off Events: October 15th November 19th Residents must have a valid permit and an appointment to attend an event. Visit https://RecycleTompkins.org/HHW or call 607-273-6632 for full details. has planned smart meter installations across the rest of its territory, between October 2022 and May 2023. Smart meter installations will begin in October 2022 with an expected completion in 2025. See here for more information. Town of Ithaca Conservation Board Seeks New Board Members The quality of life in our community is directly connected to our natural environment. The past couple years have provided an opportunity for us to discover or rediscover how rich we are with biological, ecological, geological, and scenic resources. The Town of Ithaca Conservation Board is looking for several residents with a passion for conservation, recreation, or education to join their efforts to safeguard and promote our natural and scenic resources for all. The board engages both the Town Board and the Planning Board to make sure our community's environmental concerns are heard. Their meetings are on the first Thursday of each month from 5:30 to 7:00 pm at the Ithaca Town Hall or virtually by Zoom. If you are interested in proposed development projects, deer management, invasive species education, water quality, waste awareness, scenic resources, or other conservation concerns, please join any meeting (all are open to the public). For more information about the Conservation Board and their current activities, visit the website or Facebook or join any monthly meeting. Please contact Michael Smith, Senior Planner, at 607-273-1747 or msmith@town.ithaca.ny.us with any questions. Clerks Corner Don’t forget to come by Town Hall and see the new lobby displays from our Town Historian, and of course, the lobby tree! Now decked out for Back to School. And now for what you have all been looking for… 2022 Fall Brush Pick-Up starts October 17th and Leaf Vacuuming November 7th As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact us. Paulette and Becky – Clerks@town.ithaca.ny.us or via our new website